Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy)

by Vikki Vaught

  The next week went peacefully by. Each morning Helen would go on her morning ride with Matthew, and then meet with Mrs. Smith. Every afternoon she would spend time with Christina and Catherine either playing tea or going to the garden. They hadn’t called her mama yet, but Helen believed it would be soon. She’d also gone to several committee meetings and had gotten to know Meredith much better. In fact, they’d gone riding on the beach several times.

  Helen and Matthew spent their evenings playing cards with Margaret and Boling or listening to music. Overall, Helen was very content with her life. She still hadn’t told Matthew that she loved him. She was just too afraid to reveal her feelings, and she knew it had to do with Hanford. She’d received a letter from Melody, and she had urged her to tell him, but she was just not ready yet. She was hoping that Matthew would say something about his feelings first.

  Chapter 16

  Late September 1820

  Two weeks after their return from Plymouth, Helen and Matthew went for their usual ride on the beach. Once they got down to the shore, they let their horses go and were soon galloping along the water’s edge. Suddenly, Helen started slipping and she went tumbling off her horse. Matthew watched in alarm as she fell, knowing he couldn’t get to her in time to stop her fall.

  As Helen hit the sand, Matthew’s heart stopped. He pulled Apollo to a halt, jumped off him, and rushed over to her. She wasn’t moving, and she had a large gash on the side of her head from Ginny’s hoof that was bleeding profusely. He was afraid to move her at first because he couldn’t tell if she’d broken anything, but he found a pulse, so he knew she was alive. He felt along her arms and legs and nothing seemed to be broken.

  “Thank God,” he cried. “Please wake up my darling.”

  When he tried to pick her up, he noticed that her shoulder looked odd and was scared that she may have broken something after all. He was afraid to move her, but he knew he had to get her out of the water. Matthew gently lifted her and carried her to dry sand.

  He looked around and saw Margaret and Boling coming down the path, and he called out, “Boling, Margaret, I need your help! Helen has taken a fall. Something’s wrong with her shoulder, but I don’t think anything else is broken. Boling, go up to the house and get something for us to carry her on.”

  Boling dashed away, and Matthew took his jacket off and wrapped it around Helen’s head, which was still bleeding copiously. Soon Boling was back with the footman, carrying a flat plank with them. Matthew gently moved Helen to the board, and they carried her up to the house.

  Once Boling and the footman got Helen up to her room, Matthew laid her on her bed. Helen was unconscious, and no matter how he tried to stop it, her head was still bleeding. Between him and Sally they got her undressed, but they had to cut off her riding habit to avoid moving her right shoulder. It was swollen and turning purple. Once they had her undressed, they didn’t try to put on her night rail because they were afraid of hurting her shoulder, so Matthew pulled the covers up to hide her naked body and to keep her from getting chilled.

  Sally brought a wet cloth, and Matthew bathed the blood off Helen’s beautiful face. It was her temple that was bleeding, so they wrapped a bandage around her head. Wells brought the doctor up to Helen’s room.

  Dr. Moore turned to Matthew after he finished examining Helen. “She has a dislocated shoulder, and I’m going to have to get it back in its socket. The trauma to her head is what has me most concerned, so you’ll need to watch her closely. The pain is going to be excruciating for her when I try to get her shoulder back in place. I need to do that right now. My lord, you’ll need to hold Lady Collingswood down and try to keep her from moving while I attempt to get her shoulder back in place.”

  Dr. Moore grabbed her arm and pulled. When he did, the shoulder went immediately back into its socket, but Helen remained unconscious. Matthew started pacing back and forth. Helen should have screamed when the doctor pulled her arm, and she didn’t even flinch.

  Oh God, please let her be all right!

  Dr. Moore cleaned her head injury and stitched the wound to close the gash. After that, he put on a fresh bandage. The doctor looked over at Matthew. “When she wakes up she’ll need to keep her right arm in a sling to immobilize her shoulder. The best thing you can do for her is get some water down her. She’s going to have a terrific headache when she wakes up, so give her this medicine, which should help her pain.”

  “Doctor, is my wife going to be all right?”

  The doctor slowly answered, “I’m sorry that I can’t assure you she’ll be all right. If you’re a praying man, I’d recommend you do it, since only God knows whether she’ll come through this. I’ll come back this evening, and hopefully she’ll have regained consciousness by then. If not, she could have a fractured skull, which would be very serious. If that is the case, she may not wake up.”

  Matthew refused to leave Helen’s side. He sat by her bed and held her hand for hours. Margaret tried to get him to let her sit with Helen, but he refused. He asked Peter to get Edwards and have him find Ginny, then see if he could find out what could have caused Helen to fall. Since Helen was such an accomplished rider, it made no sense that she’d fallen. Something must have happened to her equipment. She looked so pale lying there, and it was heartwrenching to see her lying so still.

  The doctor returned at six o’clock, but Helen was still unconscious. As the doctor was examining her, he noticed she was bleeding slightly. He shook his head. “My lord, I believe your wife is with child. The bleeding is light, so there’s still a chance she won’t lose the babe, but only time will answer that question. Please continue to try to get water down her, and I’ll return in the morning.”

  Matthew wouldn’t allow anyone else to take care of Helen. He stayed by her side all through the night, but she remained unconscious. When Dr. Moore examined her the next morning, he said, “The bleeding has stopped, my lord. I don’t think she’s lost the babe, but it may not matter if she doesn’t wake up soon. I’ll return in the morning to check on Lady Collingswood. Please don’t hesitate to send for me if anything changes.”

  Since Helen had been unconscious for forty-eight hours, Matthew knew what Sanderford would do if something happened to her and he hadn’t been informed, so he immediately sent word to him.

  Finally, Margaret convinced Matthew to leave Helen’s side long enough to bathe. He was back by Helen’s side within the hour. While he was away, he went and talked to Edwards and found out that the girth on Helen’s saddle had given way and that was why she’d fallen.

  That made sense because Matthew knew Helen wouldn’t have just simply fallen without a reason. It almost looked as if the girth had been cut, but not enough to break immediately, just enough to weaken it. When they started galloping, as they usually did, the strain caused it to pull apart the rest of the way. Matthew couldn’t understand who would have done such a thing. Surely, it must have been cut by accident. Just to make sure, he told Edwards to find out if anyone strange had been around at the time of her accident.

  Helen was losing weight, and she had dark circles under her beautiful eyes. It was tearing Matthew’s heart apart to see her like this. Fortunately, Matthew was able to get water and gruel down her by massaging her throat, so at least she was getting some nourishment for her and the babe. Two more days went by, and she still didn’t wake up.

  That day, after Dr. Moore came to examine Helen, he sighed. “At this point, if your wife doesn’t wake up in the next few days, I don’t expect your wife will make it. I’m sorry, my lord. I wish I had better news for you. I’m amazed that she hasn’t lost the babe. I’ll come by again in the morning.”

  Matthew just sat there looking at Helen as the doctor left the room, too overcome to reply. Bowing his head, he felt the tears forming in his eyes. He allowed them to come, knowing that he wouldn’t want to continue to live if he lost Helen. Dropping to his knees beside Helen’s bed, he began to pray harder than he had ever prayed in his life.


  The next day, Henry and Melody arrived. Matthew gained strength from Melody because she was as determined as he was that Helen would survive.

  Matthew would talk to Helen constantly, hoping she would hear him and come back to him. He wasn’t eating well and he’d also lost weight.

  Each night Matthew would hold her in his arms as he fitfully slept. Eight days after the accident, he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. He dreamed that Helen was well and that she gave birth to their son. It was such a pleasant dream, and he didn’t want to wake up, but the sound of someone moaning forced him to stir. As he awakened, he realized with a start that it was Helen. This was the first sound she’d made since her accident. He looked over at her, and she had a gentle smile on her face as if she were having a pleasant dream. It was also the first smile he had seen since before the accident.

  “My darling, please wake up! I need you so much…we all need you to come back to us. Christina and Catherine have been asking to see their Helen.” Then crying to the heavens, he prayed, “Oh God, please help her…I can’t lose her…I don’t think I could live without her! She’s my life, my reason for living!”

  Matthew felt tears rolling down his face. He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, “Please come back to me, my love. You have so much to live for, my darling…you’re going to have a baby. Please…I love you!”

  Matthew looked down at Helen, and she had the sweetest smile on her face as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. “Why are you crying, Matthew?”

  “My darling! Thank God you’ve come back to me!”

  “Where have I been?” Then reaching up a hand she touched her forehead and whispered, “Oh, I have a terrible headache. Why does my head hurt so badly?” Helen tried to sit up, but she cried out and fell back against the pillows.

  Holding her close, he said, “Don’t try to sit up my darling. You’ve been unconscious for eight days, so you’re very weak. We were afraid you would never wake up. My love, I’ve missed you so much. You took a fall from your horse as we were riding on the beach, and one of Ginny’s hoofs hit your head. You dislocated your shoulder when you fell as well. Do you remember any of this?”

  Helen lay back and closed her eyes. “I can’t remember anything. Have I…really been unconscious for that long? Oh Matthew, I don’t feel very well…I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Matthew jumped out of bed and rushed to get the chamber pot, hurrying back to her side. He barely reached her before she cast up her accounts. He held her head, and when she was through, he wiped her face with a damp cloth and gave her some water to rinse her mouth out. He climbed into bed with her, pulled her into his arms, and she laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. He held her throughout the rest of the night, praying fervently that she would wake up again in the morning.

  Helen did wake up the following morning, and she told Matthew that she felt much better. Her shoulder hurt a little, but not bad, and her headache was almost gone. Matthew wondered if Helen had heard him tell her that he loved her. She didn’t say anything, so he thought that she probably hadn’t heard him. He was just grateful that she was alive.

  Melody entered the room, and when Helen saw her, she said, “When did you get here? I’m so glad to see you. Is Henry here too?”

  Melody smiled. “Yes, darling. We’ve been so worried about you. Thank goodness you’re all right. We’ve been praying every day for you to wake up.”

  “Can I see Henry?” Helen asked.

  “Of course. I’ll go get him,” Melody replied, and left the room to bring him to her.

  When Henry came into her room, he came over to the bed and gave her a hug. “Hello, sweetheart. You had us so worried. I’m so relieved you’re feeling better.”

  “It’s wonderful to see you. I’m sorry I’ve been so much trouble,” Helen answered.

  Henry smiled down at her. “You’re no trouble. We came as soon as we received word from Matthew about your accident.”

  After smiling weakly at Henry, she turned to Matthew and said, “I’m so tired. I think I need to rest,” and almost before the words were out of her mouth, she fell back to sleep.

  Helen spent the next few days recuperating. Matthew knew it was time to tell her about the baby, so that afternoon, while sitting beside her bed, he picked up her hand, and after kissing it, he said, “Sweetheart, I have some wonderful news. You’re going to have a baby. When Dr. Moore examined you, he found out that you’re with child. Did you suspect you were with child?”

  “Oh my goodness! Is the doctor sure? I had no idea.” With tears of happiness in her eyes, she cried, “Oh Matthew, this is wonderful news. Did Dr. Moore say when the baby would be born? Matthew…is the doctor sure the baby wasn’t hurt while I was unconscious?”

  “He said he would need to speak with you to be sure, but he felt you were about two months along. He’ll be here this afternoon to examine you, and hopefully, once he talks with you he’ll have a better idea of when the baby should be born. You did have some bleeding right after your fall, but it wasn’t much, and the doctor felt the baby was all right.”

  Matthew held her in his arms as she wept for joy. It truly was amazing that she hadn’t lost the baby. The doctor came that afternoon, and after talking to Helen, he told them that the baby should be born around the end of April.

  Now that Helen was out of danger, Matthew devoted himself to trying to find out who had tampered with her saddle. Matthew and Peter questioned all the stable hands, but none of them knew anything. Edwards showed Matthew the girth strap, and it did look like it had been cut. It could have been cut accidentally. Eddie, who had readied the horses that day, may have been in a hurry and didn’t notice the cut.

  That made more sense than to suspect someone of deliberately cutting the strap. Everyone liked Helen, and besides, she really didn’t know that many people in the area. It had to have been an accident, but just to be safe he would be on his guard. At least for the next seven months, she wouldn’t be riding her horse, so nothing like this could happen again.

  Helen enjoyed having her family around her. Melody came to her room every day so they could talk. The day after Helen found out about the baby, they had a chance to have a more involved conversation. “While I’m overjoyed you came, I hate that you had to come all this way. I’m sure Henry didn’t want to be away from Parliament, what with all this business about the King.”

  “Helen, when we received the news about your accident, we left immediately. Nothing is more important than you are right now. Henry has Weston keeping him informed, so he’s fine. I don’t want you worrying about us. You just need to concentrate on getting well.”

  After pausing, Helen said, “I appreciate you answering my letter. I know you told me to tell Matthew that I’m in love with him, but Melody, I’m just too afraid. I don’t know how he feels about me because he’s never said anything. I’d hate to tell him and then find out that he doesn’t return my love. When we married, I insisted that I didn’t want to have love, just companionship.”

  “Are you sure that he isn’t already in love with you? He was completely undone when you were so ill. I think he already loves you, and why would he not? After all, you’re a very loveable person. You weren’t aware of how he was acting when you were so ill. He never wanted to leave your side.”

  Excited, Helen sat up. “Do you really think so? I love him so much, and I’m so happy about the baby. I certainly hope it’s a boy. He really does need an heir, because his brother is such a wastrel that he would ruin the earldom if he were to inherit. I wrote you about him getting into that duel, and it just seems as if he is constantly in trouble. Melody, how can I find out if Matthew loves me?”

  Taking her time to answer, Melody finally replied, “I suggest that you watch his actions, because many times you can tell more from actions than words,” Then patting Helen’s hand, she added, “It sounds as if you’ve had quite a bit of excitement since you married Matthew. I can’t believe his sister had to
get married. She’s so young, and her husband can’t be more than a few years older than she is. Wasn’t there any way to avoid marriage?”

  Helen sighed deeply. “None at all…Margaret gave him her innocence. One afternoon, she didn’t show up for tea. When Matthew found her, he caught her and Mr. Boling in a very compromising position, so there really wasn’t anything to do but get them married as soon as possible. Matthew has told them they can stay with us until Mr. Boling comes into his inheritance. He’s Viscount Hartford’s heir and will inherit the title when his uncle dies. But until then he has no money to support a wife. They seem to be very much in love, but only time will tell if they’re going to be mature enough to handle marriage.”

  Melody stood up and squeezed Helen’s hand affectionately. “I hope for their sakes they can overcome their youth. Well, I can see that you’re getting tired, so I’ll take my leave now, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest. Remember you’re carrying a precious child, and you need to get plenty of sleep. Take care, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Helen continued to improve, and within a few days she was up and about. She had even put most of her weight back on and was barely suffering any morning sickness. Every time she thought about the baby, she felt a warm glow come over her. Matthew was over the moon, he was so excited. It really was a miracle that she hadn’t lost the babe, what with the accident and all.

  Chapter 17

  October 1820

  Across town at Cecilia Arlington’s house, Cecilia had just finished her breakfast. She was feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction knowing that Helen was on death’s door and not expected to live. Cecilia spent the morning imagining how she would console Matthew over his loss. That afternoon, she went into town, and while at the dressmakers, she overheard Vicar Winslow’s wife talking with Lady Ralston and found out that Helen had awakened from her accident and was expected to make a full recovery. She was also going to have a baby.